


Things Left Unsaid

by karrenia_rune



Category: Space Cases (TV)
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, Episode Tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 20:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3992395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karrenia_rune/pseuds/karrenia_rune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An expansion of events that took place in Season 2 episode "Both Sides Now".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things Left Unsaid

Disclaimer: Space Cases belongs to Nickelodeon. It is not mine.

"Things left Unsaid" by Karrenia_rune

T.J Davenport had meant it when she said that her office door was always open at any hour for any of her students aboard the Christa. The fact that they were no longer at the Star Academy and that she no longer was in possession of a proper office did not in any dissuade from coming up with a proper schedule and insisting that her students abide by it. 

Even if they did not come by the offer would be on the table if and when they needed it; or even if the situation called for it, a friendly ear to bend or an accommodating shoulder to cry on. 

After the mishap with Mister Radu and Miss Ianni over the infected stuffed animal, Rosie had been devastated at her unwitting role in causing his illness in the first place. But she had quickly rallied and done her part in saving him and had even expressed a renewed interest in becoming a doctor.

As someone who encouraged initiative among her students Davenport had been pleased with Rosie’s interest and done her best to encourage her in that particular direction. 

Thinking of Rosie her thoughts naturally led to Bova, whose dour a rather pessimistic attitude often got in the way of his better nature. The fact that he from the planet notwithstanding; she thought that the two would benefit from associating with one another.

Even as she mused over these meandering thought as well as fine-tuning tomorrow’s lesson plan her door chime pealed signaling the presence of a visitor standing outside of her door. “Come in!”

Figuring that the person would be one of the cadets or even more likely Commander Goddard she stood up, but gave a brief start when she saw that it was instead Thelma, Christa’s ship-board android.

“Thelma,” what a surprise, would you please have a seat. What can I do for you?”

“Ms. Davenport,” Thelma replied as she took a seat in one of the offered chairs, I, hardly know where to begin.”

 

“At the beginning,” wait let me rephrase that,’ aware of the android’s unfortunate tendency to take a seemingly ambiguous statement too literally. “Wait, allow me to rephrase that, tell me only the pertinent facts that have to do with the situation.”

Thelma nodded, “Very well, as you wish.”

“I, this is difficult for me.” Thelma cast her cloudy blue-grey eyes down to her hands folded in her lap. “In fact, I have given a great deal of thought to the matter and I still cannot resolve it.”

“Tell me what’s wrong, dear.”

Thelma looked up at her, pinning her gaze, and if an android was capable of shedding tears minuscule droplets of moisture glistened at the corners of her eyes.

 

“I was programmed to be the ship’s avatar, to see its functions, etc, and while I have run every diagnostic that I can think of, there is no problem with the ship or systems…” she trailed off.

“Yet, you feel as if something’s missing,” guessed Davenport.

“Not so much missing as lacking. Something I had and no it is no longer there. Does that sound completely insane?” 

“No, not all. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Thelma’s expression went from morose to eager and back again that if you had blinked one might have missed it entirely, she leaned forward and grabbed Davenport’s hands. “Oh, could you?”

Davenport, as gently as she could disentangle her hands from those of the android; she did not want to discourage the poor dear it was just that having one’s hands squeezed by an android tends to feel akin to getting them squeezed inside of a metal shop vise. 

Following quickly on the heels of her earlier exclamation Thelma sputtered out,  
“Could you tell what it is like to feel, to feel happy, sad, angry? To feel disappointment or triumph?” using her hands to punctuate each emotion with small gestures.

Davenport this time, briefly used her own hands to rub her temples. Before now she had thought overly much of the potential unforeseen consequences of her ‘sleep teach’ experiments when she had accidentally downloaded too much of the 

Christa’s raw data into her own cerebral cortex and had then switched the crew’s personalities one into another, but she had, and while the results had for the most part been beneficial, in that had learned more about each other; she had thought what effect it would have had on Thelma, who as in tune with the ship in ways that perhaps no one of them; not even the newest addition to the crew, Suzee, could possibly understand.

Davenport said, “I think I know what brought this on, Thelma. And I feel that I am to blame.”

“No!” 

“Yes, dear, but please let me finish. What you are going through while confusing and very difficult for someone who until now has never had to wrestle with confusing and pesky things but ultimately wonderful things like emotions.”

“I am capable of simulating emotions, but I could not ‘feel’ the way humanoids do.”

“That’s the reason perhaps Christa’s creators intended it. You put it best, the raw, real emotions that you experienced when you ‘were out of your body’ not long ago, gave you a unique and perhaps unprecedented look into ’feelings’ and what you are experiencing now is a feeling of losing something you once had.”

“Were they mine, to begin with, or those of the person my mind was inside?”  
Davenport snorted, “Given what little we knew about Suzee, I don’t know. But I do know this, your emotions are your own Thelma, simulated or real; they are your own and no one else’s.”

“Then what do you suggest I do?” asked Thelma.

“Own them, learn from them, and if it would help, keep a journal of the difficult yet ultimately rewarding journey of exploring your emotions.”  
Thelma nodded eagerly, “I will!”

“Oh, and one more thing, Thelma, I have to know one more thing, I feel rather foolish and perhaps a bit self-indulgent for even asking this. But I feel I must since the issue is out in the open….” she began and then paused as if thinking the matter over. “Are you angry at me? Do you blame me for what happened?”

“Angry at you?”

“As I said, I did cause the, ah, situation in the first place.”

“No, Miss Davenport, and you’ve helped me, very much. 

“You’re quite welcome, dear. My door is always open if you ever need anything.”

“Thank you,” replied Thelma with a brief dip of her head, her demeanor and expression much calmer now than when she had come in. 

“You’re welcome.”


End file.
